Kitchen Nightmares

SOUTH BEND -- A struggling restaurant usually applies to the Gordon Ramsay show for help when it is just about ready to close. Such was the case for j willy's Barbeque House. So it should not come as a surprise, owner John Ittenbach said, that he and his business partners wanted to test the market for prospective buyers while they waited for their "Kitchen Nightmares" segment to air. They listed the restaurant at 52885 Indiana 933, near the corner of Cleveland Road, north of South Bend, for sale last spring in a confidential offering with local real estate company Grubb & Ellis/Cressy & Everett.

SOUTH BEND -- It's official: "Kitchen Nightmares" is coming to South Bend. In fact, members of the show's crew arrived Monday morning. The Fox reality show, which features celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, will be filming at j. willy's bar & grille, 52885 Indiana 933 North, throughout the week. A promotional event for the restaurant is set for 10 a.m. Wednesday morning in downtown South Bend with the restaurant's relaunch scheduled for Wednesday night. Ramsay is an internationally renowned chef behind such restaurants as Maze and Petrus.

At first, you might think putting your restaurant on a national television show called "Kitchen Nightmares" might not be the kind of publicity you would want. And being put under chef Gordon Ramsay's strenuous scrutiny might not appeal to many at first blush. But j willy's Barbeque House owner John Ittenbach sees it differently. "It was quite an honor to have my management style critiqued by him," Ittenbach said. Ittenbach took a few minutes to talk by phone as he was preparing to reopen his revamped restaurant for Friday dinner service after the departure of Ramsay and the crew of "Kitchen Nightmares.

Have you ever wondered what celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is like in person? Well, you may just get a chance to find out. Ramsay may soon be behind the scenes at a South Bend eatery as filming for Season 2 of FoxÂ?s "Kitchen Nightmares" is about to get under way. Sheila Conlin of The Conlin Co., which is casting the show, confirmed that j. willyÂ?s bar & grille, 52885 Indiana 933 North, South Bend has been one of the restaurants slated for production. "WeÂ?re definitely interested in j. willyÂ?

ThereÂ?s a moment in each episode of "Kitchen Nightmares" where you have to wonder what itÂ?s really like for the chefs and restaurant owners who subject themselves to Gordon RamsayÂ?s brutal honesty. So we asked one. Joe Cerniglia, the owner and chef of Campania, an Italian restaurant in Fair Lawn, N.J., recently was on the receiving end of RamsayÂ?s advice for an episode that will air Wednesday (9 p.m., Fox). "Most chefs are a bit narcissistic and driven by their own egos," Cerniglia says.

SOUTH BEND Â? The crew of FoxÂ?s "Kitchen Nightmares" was delayed by snow this morning, but for the more than 100 people who came to the College Football Hall of Fame the three-hour wait was worth it. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay walked into the HallÂ?s theater about 12:45 p.m. to build excitement for the re-launch of j. willyÂ?s bar & grille, Indiana 933 North, South Bend. The restaurant will be featured in the second season of "Kitchen Nightmares" this fall. "This is a dynamic team," Ramsay said, pointing to the j. willyÂ?

J willyÂ?s Barbeque House is open for business following its revamp as part of the Fox show "Kitchen Nightmares" featuring chef Gordon Ramsay. Starting with dinner service tonight, the restaurant returns to its regular hours of 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. J willyÂ?s, 52885 Indiana 933 N., South Bend, does not take reservations but it is strongly recommended to call ahead at (574) 272-5478.

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay may soon be behind the scenes at a South Bend eatery. Sheila Conlin of The Conlin Co., which is casting the second season of Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares," said that j. willy's bar & grille, 52885 Indiana 933 North, South Bend, has been contacted about being on the show, but whether they are chosen is ultimately up to Fox, the network that carries the show. "We're definitely interested in j. willy's," Conlin said by telephone Friday afternoon. "We have been in some pre-production with them.

A&E BRIEFS STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS Ramsay challenges home cooks next HOLLYWOOD -- Fox has ordered up "Master Chef," a new reality show that will pit amateur cooks against one another in a battle for culinary supremacy. Gordon Ramsay, star of the network's other food-centric hours, "Hell's Kitchen" and "Kitchen Nightmares," will co-produce with Reveille and headline "Master Chef," based on a format that originated in the U.K. but more recently shattered ratings records in Australia.

HOLLYWOOD -- Fox has ordered up "Master Chef," a new reality show that will pit amateur cooks against one another in a battle for culinary supremacy. Gordon Ramsay, star of the network's other food-centric hours, "Hell's Kitchen" and "Kitchen Nightmares," will co-produce with Reveille and headline "Master Chef," based on a format that originated in the U.K. but more recently shattered ratings records in Australia. In the Australian version, according to The Hollywood Reporter, contestants -- home cooks, not professional chefs -- audition by creating a dish for a panel of three judges to earn spots as semifinalists.

Even chef Gordon Ramsay may not be able to save the South Bend restaurant he revamped and offered national exposure to just a few months ago. j willy's Barbeque House, 52885 Indiana 933, which has been listed for sale since last spring, will be taken off the market in January. Rather than look for a buyer, owner John Ittenbach is making a final plea to find a business partner to keep the restaurant that appeared on "Kitchen Nightmares" afloat. Otherwise, it may close. "My partners want out due to the economy," Ittenbach says.

The episode of chef Gordon RamsayÂ?s Â?Kitchen Nightmares,Â? which featured South Bend restaurant j willyÂ?s Barbeque House, 52885 Indiana 933 North, is scheduled to air tonight at 9 p.m. The episode of the Fox reality show was filmed over the last week in February (all that snowÂ?s going to look a little funny). Reservations for tonight at the restaurant have been taken and any remaining room will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, according to a spokeswoman at the restaurant.

SOUTH BEND -- A struggling restaurant usually applies to the Gordon Ramsay show for help when it is just about ready to close. Such was the case for j willy's Barbeque House. So it should not come as a surprise, owner John Ittenbach said, that he and his business partners wanted to test the market for prospective buyers while they waited for their "Kitchen Nightmares" segment to air. They listed the restaurant at 52885 Indiana 933, near the corner of Cleveland Road, north of South Bend, for sale last spring in a confidential offering with local real estate company Grubb & Ellis/Cressy & Everett.

The episode of chef Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares" show that featured South Bend restaurant j willy's Barbeque House, 52885 Indiana 933 North, has been pushed back two weeks. Instead of airing at 9 p.m. Oct. 16, it is now scheduled to air at 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30 (Post-season baseball has something to do with it). The Fox reality show filmed the episode over the last week in February this year (all that snow's going to look a little funny). Ramsay also hosts Â?HellÂ?

If you were making plans for lunch at j willy's Barbeque House, which has been relaunched as part of the Fox television show "Kitchen Nightmares" starring Gordon Ramsay, you might want to try having dinner there instead. Owner John Ittenbach said today that he is remaining closed for lunch initially as the restaurant focuses time and energy on perfecting dinner service. "We just want to make sure we've got dinner down tight first," Ittenbach said. That dinner is the Ramsay-designed menu that focuses on a distinctive new barbecue flavor.

"Don't hug Gordon. " That was about the only instruction given before guests were let into j willy's Barbeque House in South Bend last Wednesday. That was the revamped restaurant's big night after chef Gordon Ramsay had gone over the place with his fine, four-letter comb for an episode of his Fox show "Kitchen Nightmares. " I had been invited by a member of the production staff (unbeknownst to the restaurant staff, I was told) to eat there Wednesday. Before I went in, a short speech was given every few minutes to the gathered guests about how everyone should just basically play it cool.